The Media Project is a network of mainstream journalists who are Christians pursuing accurate and intellectually honest reporting on all aspects of culture, particularly the role of religion in public life in all corners of the world. It welcomes friends from other faiths to such discussions and training.

Jan 19

Jan 19 Analysis: The press puts God on trial in Haiti

Journalists in the mainstream press often talk about covering bothsides of a story fairly and accurately. I can say “Amen” to that, even
while acknowledging that it is rare to cover a major story that only
has two sides. Nevertheless, the key is for journalists to keep seeking
multiple points of view, especially when covering a subject as
complicated as religion.

So far, journalists covering the hellish scenes in Haiti have done a
good job of showing the degree to which religion — or religions — color
life in that haunted, yet intensely spiritual nation. This must be
incredibly hard work, when surrounded by so much chaos.

As I mentioned the other day, we are now moving into the “theodicy”
(How could God do this? How could God allow this to happen?) stage of
this disaster story. I stand by my earlier statements that the best
coverage is focusing on the voices of believers and doubters in Haiti,
as opposed to rounding up the usual suspects in America.

Do tell. I have been wondering when someone would write about this angle of the story, in the wake of the media storm around the Rev. Pat Robertson.
To cut to the chase: Are there Haitians who believe that the earthquake
is, in some mysterious way, an “act of God,” even a form of divine
judgment?

That depends. For starters, you will be glad to know that reporter
Michelle Faul quickly establishes that Haitians are not of one mind
when it comes to answering that question.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Deeply
religious Haitians see the hand of God in the destruction of Biblical
proportions visited on their benighted country. The quake, religious
leaders said Sunday, is evidence that He wants change.

Exactly what change He wants depends on the faith: Some Christians
say it’s a sign that Haitians must deepen their faith, while some
Voodoo followers see God’s judgment on corruption among the country’s
mostly light-skinned elite.

Jumping down, there is more content on that second point:

Some followers of Voodoo, practiced alongside Roman
Catholicism by the vast majority of Haitians, said the devastation of
key symbols of power was punishment for corrupt leaders who have
allowed the mostly light-skinned elite to enrich themselves while the
black majority suffers.

“If all of a sudden, in 15 seconds, 20 seconds, all the physical
representations of corruption are destroyed, it gives you pause for
thought,” said Richard Morse, a renowned Haitian-American musician
whose mother was a singer and revered Voodoo priestess. “The Justice
Ministry: down. The National Palace: down. The United Nations
headquarters: down.” …

The destruction of every major Catholic church in the capital,
including the 81-year-old cathedral, also was a sign, he said: “When
there is all this corruption going on, whose role is it in society to
speak out? Isn’t the Church supposed to say something?”

There is an old saying in the region that Haiti is 80 percent Roman
Catholic and 100 percent Voodoo. However, that simply isn’t true, these
days. The government does recognize two official state religions, which
are Catholicism and Voodoo. Media reports have emphasized, accurately,
that most Haitians practice both of these faiths and believe they are
compatible.

However, the nation also includes a growing number of Protestants,
especially Baptists and Pentecostal Christians — who reject Voodoo, as
a rule. You have to ask: What are these groups saying? Are these some
of the people whose street sermons have — vaguely — been mentioned in
some media reports? What is their stance on the “divine judgment”
issue? I predict that the answer to that question is more complex than
you might imagine.

It would also be good to know if Catholics are united in the belief
that Voodoo rites and beliefs can be fused, as they often are in Haiti.
Is this topic debated? And what about the Voodoo community itself? It
is hard to imagine that there would be only one point of view on the
question of who is being judged and by what Deity. How does Voodoo
address the “theodicy” question?

What about unbelievers? What about the people who have lost so much, including their faith or faiths?

Clearly, there is much ground still left to cover. But for now, try to forget the final image from this AP report:

“How could He do this to us?,” cried Remi Polevard, who
said his five children lie beneath in the rubble of a home near St.
Gerard University. “There is no God.”

Sunday night, as downtown residents began burning some of the bodies
that have been rotting on the streets for five days, a woman walking by
in an orange dress pulled out a copy of the Bible.